Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for ��˿�� to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-39667

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Lancet Commission’s research on liver cancer, and what action it plans to take in light of the research’s findings that three-in-five liver cancer cases could be prevented by reducing alcohol consumption and obesity, and by increasing uptake of the hepatitis vaccine.

Question reference: S6W-39668

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve early detection for liver damage and cancer, in light of the findings in the Lancet Commission’s research on liver cancer.

Question reference: S6W-39250

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 31 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures the public's respiratory safety in relation to the indoor air quality in people's homes.

The Scottish Government undertake a range of regulatory and advisory activities to support the delivery of good indoor air quality in our homes. This includes:

All new homes and new building work are subject to building regulations which include provisions on the supply of outside air and removal of pollutants to address indoor air quality.
To comply with the statutory Tolerable Standard, all housing in Scotland must have satisfactory provision for lighting, ventilation and heating.
Our Warmer Homes Scotland programme requires a ventilation plan for each home, to make sure the right ventilation systems are properly planned and installed where needed.
Our Area Based Schemes (ABS) programme requires councils to plan projects that ensure adequate ventilation for households as part of a broader compliance to the PAS 2035 design and installation standard.
The importance of warm homes as a factor in prevention of respiratory conditions is recognised in our clinical Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-39396

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the national service specification for substance use treatments and support services.

Question reference: S6W-39256

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is national training and guidance for health settings regarding Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABIs).

Question reference: S6W-39254

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its response to the national review of Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABIs).

The Scottish Government is engaging widely on the creation of a new approach to care and support for people impacted by alcohol. The recommendations made in the Public Health Scotland review of ABI are a key component of our engagement.

Our aim is to publish our new approach in 2026. This will include actions for re-affirming our commitment to brief interventions in all settings as well as how we will meet the recommendation to embed conversations about alcohol over 10 years.

Question reference: S6W-39243

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider creating a joint health and justice working group for national leadership and to undertake a review and assessment of any need for clearer standards for alcohol interventions at appropriate stages in the justice system.

The Scottish Government is engaging widely on the creation of a new approach to care and support for people impacted by alcohol. That new approach will include plans for a national specification setting out the interventions required to reduce harm as well as improved standards for implementing those. Standards for alcohol care and support in the justice system are the same as standards in the community.

The Scottish Government has oversight groups in place to help provide national and local leadership with a clear steer on the services which need to be in place in all settings.

Question reference: S6W-39255

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is national training and guidance for justice settings regarding Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABIs).

The Scottish Government’s national guidance on Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABI) was last published in 2018. It includes advice on training as well as advice for carrying out and recording ABI in justice settings.

In response to the national review of ABI we will be working on updating this guidance and working with Public Health Scotland on refreshing and updating related advice as part of our new approach to alcohol care and support.

Question reference: S6W-39257

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the Glasgow Alcohol Court, and whether it will consider rolling this out to other cities.

Specialist courts such as the Glasgow Alcohol Court are the responsibility of Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, rather than the responsibility of the Scottish Government.

There are other good practice examples of problem solving courts, including the Pan-Lanarkshire Alcohol and Drugs Problem Solving Court, which secured funding via the CORRA foundation and launched in December 2023.

If there was a desire to see this approach extended to other areas on the basis of evidence of effectiveness, we would be supportive.

Question reference: S6W-39252

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what impact it anticipates its preventative healthcare priorities will have on the 14% increase in circulatory hospital admissions that is reportedly projected in the next 10 years.

Both the (SRF) and the (PHF) place prevention and early intervention at their core. The actions in the PHF – promoting healthy eating, investing in sport and active living, and work to reduce the harms of smoking – will support the prevention of cardiovascular (circulatory) disease.

The SRF includes a focus on early detection to support intervention and treatment to reduce the level of harm. For example, our CVD Risk Factors programme seeks to improve the identification and management of key risk factors (obesity, smoking, high blood sugar, blood pressure or cholesterol). As part of this programme, we will support 100,000 patients, who may be at risk of cardiovascular disease, with extra GP appointments by March next year.

Preventative measures, such as those detailed above, should help to address cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, including hospital admissions.